Tech She Can: UK companies join forces to boost women in the tech industry

At the moment, only 23 per cent of people working in STEM roles are female according to PwC 
19 organisations are teaming up to launch the Tech She Can charter
Leon Neal / Staff / Getty
Amelia Heathman27 February 2018

A new charter has launched calling on companies to be more inclusive and encourage more women into the tech industry.

Named the Tech She Can Charter, 19 organisations, including PwC, JP Morgan, TechGirls and Digital Jam, have come together to launch the new initiative. The charter wants to see the industry working together to reach more young women to inspire and encourage them to pursue tech careers.

At the moment, only 23 per cent of people working in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) roles are female according to PwC.

Sheridan Ash, Women in Tech leader at PwC and founder of the Tech She Can charter, said: “By working together we can reach more females at an earlier stage of their lives. We need to work harder to raise awareness about the exciting range of technology roles out there, in a sector that has the power to change the world.

“Promoting visible and relatable role models is a huge part of this, as it’s hard for girls to aspire to be something they can’t see. There are many brilliant women working in technology roles right across the UK, from creatives and designers, to coders and data scientists. Technology is open to all and we need to get that message across.”

Why is the Tech She Can charter needed?

According to research by PwC, a mere 27 per cent of female students say they would consider a career in technology. This is particularly worrying considering the growth of the tech industry in the UK.

There are around 1.64 million jobs in the tech industry and the growth rate of digital jobs was more than double that of non-digital roles between 2011 and 2015, according to TechCityUK.

In addition, digital tech workers are helping to boost the wider UK economy, contributing around £103,000 to the economy.

It’s important that half of the UK’s population is not left behind in the big tech push.

However, the reasons why females are not choosing tech jobs are complex. For instance, no one is putting it forward as an option for them, they aren’t given enough information at school about what working in technology involves, and the lack of female role models are often cited.

This is why the Tech She Can charter is needed to create coordinated action at school age so there will be a sustainable pipeline of diverse tech talent.

Margot James, the minister for digital and creative industries says the UK needs to be at the forefront of tackling the gender imbalance in the tech workforce.

“The whole UK government has recently signed the Tech Talent Charter, which focuses on increasing the gender diversity of those already working in tech roles, and we welcome PwC’s new initiative to target and inspire the talent of tomorrow.”

The signatories at the launch of the Tech She Can charter
PwC

What will the charter do?

The 19 companies and organisations that have signed up the charter have agreed to carry out certain actions. For instance, they will work with schools across the UK to educate and inspire pupils to consider a career in tech by developing technology toolkits.

As well, the companies will ensure inclusive access to technology roles in their own organisations. This includes celebrating and promoting its female staff as tech role models and supporting the right environment to attract, recruit and retain females.

Kevin Ellis, chairman and senior partner at PwC, said: “The demand for technology skills from businesses is already reaching critical levels and is only set to increase.

“This is our chance to build a diverse and inclusive pipeline of technology talent, which will help position UK businesses at the forefront of innovation and investment in the future.”

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